Despite Gains, African-Americans Still Disproportionately Affected by
Hunger and Poverty

February 15, 2017 03:04 PM Eastern Standard Time

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Over the past year, African-Americans have seen significant decreases in
hunger and poverty levels, with a nearly 5 percentage point drop in
hunger alone. Much of these declines are due to good federal policy and
strong community leadership. However, much more must be done.

Bread for the World recently released a new graphic, I
Still Rise, highlighting African-American contributions to
ending hunger and poverty over the past century. “African-Americans have
always been at the forefront of the struggle against hunger and
poverty,” said Eric Mitchell, director of government relations at Bread
for the World.

Despite the recent gains, and the contributions made historically,
African-Americans are still more likely to suffer from hunger and
poverty than other Americans, according to a new
analysis by Bread for the World. Almost 50 percent of all black
children younger than 6 live in poverty—more than three times the
proportion of young white children. Unemployment and low wages, lack of
access to healthy and affordable food, poor schools, and higher
incarceration rates are just a few of the factors that contribute to
this problem.

“Unemployment and a lack of good-paying jobs are primary causes,”
Mitchell added. “But we must also address factors like mass
incarceration, inadequate school funding, and poor health caused by a
lack of access to nutritious foods if we want to solve the problem.”

While African-Americans make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population,
they represent 22 percent of those experiencing poverty and hunger. The
median income of African-American households is nearly $20,000 less than
general households, which makes African-American households twice as
likely to experience poverty. This number is even higher for
female-headed households, who are almost three times as likely to live
below the poverty line.

Mitchell concluded, “African-American leadership has been key to the
progress we have made so far. Now, as much as ever, African-Americans
must continue to play a leading role so that these gains are not lost.”